led signals

[Anonymous]

I am attempting to put oregon rail signals on my underconstruction ho layout. I need to know if the leds would be connected to DC or AC power? Also can they be wired to a switch turn on them on and off for the N and S directions? Sorry for a stupid question but I know nothing about wiring. A switch seems to be the cheapest way to go when one can't afford the DCC, and other things needed.

Thanks for your time

[Jetrock]

LED's would be connected to DC power. Anything can be wired to a switch to turn them on and off, but running a signal system manually would be pretty much counter-productive--you'd spend an awful lot of time and energy just switching lights on and off, and you'd probably spend as much on switches as you would on a digital signal-control system. Your best bet might be to add the signals first, and leave them sit as "dummies" (non-functional but looking nice) on the layout until you can afford automatic control.

[Anonymous]

Thanks Jetrock

Just what would I need to go to the system your talking about...

[Anonymous]

I have a post, and a question here.

I just installed a Circuitron DT-4 (Optical rolling stock detector.)

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/800-5204

First, let me say I highly recommend this product. The instructions were perfect, installation wasn't that difficult, it is really easy to "tune" and it works great!

I attached this to a typical three wire pre-built signal mast, and it is awesome! When the train "closes" the first optical sensor by rolling over the sensor, it turns the light red for the "joining" diverging route. It stays red untill the last UNMODIFIED (I stress that because there was none of this "get the right resistor, and metal wheels, and glue, and repeat for all rolling stock" stuff that you have to have for voltage based block detectors,) car rolls over the last sensor!

I want to have that light "delay" a little longer so here's my question. Because lighting can "trip" the system between cars, or with high body rolling stock, I want the light to last about three seconds from the moment it triggers, until it releases. What do I do to build / buy a simple 12V DC delay?

I have looked all over the web, and I cannot find an answer.

[Anonymous]

I believe that if you get the red/green combination LED, when the track polarity is in one direction, the LED is red, when it changes to the opposite direction, the LED is green. But, the downside is that you'll need to put a 680 ohm resistor on one of the LED's leads. I know this works for 2-lead LEDs, I'm not sure about 3-lead LEDs though.

[Anonymous]

I have been following the thread, and I guess I was a little fuzzy on how to make the DT-4 work for your application. See, there are 4 optical sensors. If you trip a sensor, it opens a relay to ground (built into the board.)

Now, you must think of the sensors independently of the signal head. If you have the train "pass" the green signal head before reaching the first sensor, (just before the first sensor,) you can have the circuit trip both directions red. This will "close" the block after the engineer's head has passed the signal. It will then "hold" the block until the tail of the train passes the last sensor, just before it passes the last signal on the way out of the block.

Now, this means the last signal is technically green, just before the train clears, but if it is on a main, it would not be visible to any oncoming engineer, because it is preceeded by an entire cut of cars. (That technically should have entered the next similar block, causing the same effect.)

This is my dilemma also. I am working on relay configurations to make that signal stay red based on which direction the train entered from, but you got me there. No matter which block detection I have looked at, I seem to hit the same wall with "feeling" direction. So, I will keeep hunting also. Someone has to have a "smart" board out there. If not, I am sure I can somehow combine this with my DCC stuff to come up with a logical solution.